Question: Do I need to mount the picture to a mount board?
Answer: Mounting is not required. However large prints can curve/ripple easily, even when taped to a backboard.
If you want a super-smooth print, mounting it to a Styrene or foamcore board is a good choice.
Prints are mounted on the board using pressure sensitive materials. It will also add durability to the print.
In general you still have to frame the prints. However you can glue a piece of thin wood on the back of Styrene or Gatorboard
and hang the picture on the wall without a frame to achieve the minimalist look many people prefer.
Question: What are the differences between Styrene and Formcore?
Answer:
Styrene is our most popular mounting substrate, available in 2-3mm white or black.
Made from plastic, it is a strong and super smooth plastic mounting substrate that
resists warping, making it one of the best choices for adding durability to prints of all sizes.
Foamcore is available in white and is 3/16" or 1/4” thick. It is a great lightweight solution for inserting in frames.
However, comparing to Styrene, foamcore dents and warps easily, so it is not a good option for using outside a frame.
Question: What is Gatorboard?
Answer:
Gatorboard is an rigid, extruded polystyrene foam board bonded between two layers of water-resist veneer.
It is light weight and stronger than formcore, and it resists to warps.
Gatorboard is the only mount option for some large panorama prints (such as 60"x20" panorama).
Question: What is the purpose of lustre coating?
Answer:
Lustre coating provides additional protection from fingerprints and slight scratches. It also adds a slightly
matte appearance to lustre prints, which is our default paper option.
Please note that lustre coating does not provide UV protection.
Question: Do I need to mount the prints behind glass in a frame?
Answer:
It is up to you. Personally I don't like glass because of the glare will have a significant impact to the appearance of the print, unless you choose the very expensive "museum glass" type.
Glass does protect the print from physical damage as well as fading caused by ultraviolet (UV) light. According to the lab, if you do not use glass, the Kodak paper would be archival for over 100 years in typical home display (photos, painting, and other art work should never be displayed under strong sunlight); over 200 years in dark storage; and 1-5 years for commercial display.
This picture shows the results of two large prints mounted on black Styrene.
This picture shows the results of two medium or small sized prints with borders mounted on white Styrene.
This picture shows the the corner of a large 60x20 panorama print mounted on black gatorboard.
